Kunming

Travel Guide

Kunming featuring landscape views, a skyscraper and a city
Kunming featuring a sunset, a skyscraper and a city
Kunming featuring signage and a city as well as a small group of people
Kunming
Kunming showing a city

With a laid-back atmosphere, temples and parks filled with flowers that bloom year-round, it’s easy to see why this place is known as the City of Eternal Spring.

Experience the city of Kunming’s infectiously relaxed attitude and reverence for nature when you explore its quaint Old Town and surrounding national parks. The city’s climate is such that many of its blossoming arcades of trees are fragrant and flowering throughout much of the year. Historically renowned as the gateway to the Silk Road and its connections to India, Tibet, Sichuan and Myanmar, the city has a millennia-old history as a bustling mercantile hub.

A great place to begin your visit is in the Kunming City Centre. This beautifully preserved district is comprised of two squares and five intersecting roads. Check out the traditional archway and elegant architecture at Jinma Biji Square (also known as Jinbi Square) or head to Dongfeng Square to people-watch at this popular meeting place. Nanping Street is a busy pedestrianized strip lined with shops, casual diners and restaurants. Nearby, you’ll find the Jingxing Flower and Bird Market. Peruse the stalls selling eye-catching bird species and other critters or follow the scent of freshly cut flowers to the florists’ stalls.

Learn more about the region’s botanical prowess at the Horticultural Expo Garden or relax by the waterfront gardens of Green Lake Park. Daguan Park presents a wide vista across the city with a backdrop of blue-tinted mountains. Learn about some of the 26 ethnic minorities that live in this region at the Provincial Museum. Climb Mingfeng Hill to see the Golden Temple, which is among the largest copper temples in China.

If you have time to experience the splendor of Kunming’s surrounding landscapes, be sure to book a trip to the Stone Forest. These natural stone formations are among Kunming’s top attractions. Explore caves and karst lakes or learn about the local legends that are believed to have sculpted the landscape.

Kunming is a major transportation hub in southwest China and is easy to access by air, train and bus. Regional attractions such as Dali, Lijiang and Shangri-La are linked by public transit. Despite the warm climate, you will still need to pack winter clothes between December and January. Enjoy clean air, preserved city streets and pretty parklands in Kunming.

Where to stay in Kunming

Kunming Zoo

Kunming City Centre

Kunming City Centre is noteworthy for its lake views, and you can make a stop at top attractions like Green Lake Park and Nanping Pedestrian Street.

Kunming City Centre
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Guandu

You'll enjoy the parks and waterfront in Guandu. You might want to make time for a stop at Yunnan Provincial Museum or Lake Dian.

Guandu
Kunming Zoo

Wuhua District

If you're spending some time in Wuhua District, Kunming Zoo and Green Lake Park are top sights worth seeing.

Wuhua District
The Wanda Plaza comes complete with an IMAX theatre.  Soon, Kunming will look just like every other city in the world...just a bit more crowded.

The Wanda Plaza towers, when completed, will be the 88th and 89th tallest skyscrapers in the world.

Xishan District

You'll enjoy the restaurants and museums in Xishan District. You might want to make time for a stop at Kunming Sports Training Base or Lake Dian.

Xishan District
This was once a little village outside of Kunming.  It is now less than one mile from my modern apartment complex and is next to the newly built subway line.  Across the way is a cement factory which is churning out the liquid foundation for the new urban complex emerging all around this cultural backwater.  The living meat to the left will soon become the hanging meat to the right which will presumably be served to the locals dining inside the restaurant.  I can only imagine what they talk about.

Panlong

Panlong is noteworthy for its restaurants, and you can make a stop at top attractions like Kunming Botanical Garden and Yunnan Railway Museum.

Panlong
Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. 

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

We are a product of nature, albeit an infinitesimal one.  Nature includes quantum particles, black holes, and the expanding parts of the universe filled with dark energy.  Within the scope of space-time, patience is really the only option.

Xiao Ximen

The museums and parks are just a few features travelers like about Xiao Ximen. If you want to do some sightseeing nearby, Green Lake Park and Nancheng Mosque are a few top places to visit.

Xiao Ximen
Grand Hyatt Kunming
Grand Hyatt Kunming
4.5 out of 5
1 Chongli Street, Panlong District, Kunming
Fully refundableReserve now, pay when you stay
The price is P8,583 per night from Jun 15 to Jun 16
P8,583
P10,008 total
Jun 15 - Jun 16
includes taxes & fees
Stay at this 4.5-star luxury hotel in Kunming. Enjoy free WiFi, free parking, and 4 restaurants. Popular attractions Tuodong Stadium and Nanping Pedestrian Street ...
9.8/10 Exceptional! (8 reviews)
"Superb service! Spacious, clean, and well designed bathroom!"

Reviewed on Apr 18, 2025

Grand Hyatt Kunming
DoubleTree by Hilton Kunming Airport
DoubleTree by Hilton Kunming Airport
4 out of 5
No.12001-1, Airport Road, Kunming, Yunnan Province
The price is P2,819 per night from Jun 21 to Jun 22
P2,819
P3,287 total
Jun 21 - Jun 22
includes taxes & fees
Stay at this 4-star business-friendly hotel in Kunming. Enjoy free WiFi, free parking, and 2 restaurants.
9.4/10 Exceptional! (24 reviews)
"We stayed here twice in transit. The property is clean and neat. The service was good. The airport shuttle requires a reservation from the airport and it is inconvenient if you are just transiting, particularly if you don’t have a China phone number. The breakfast was amazing and for transits that ..."

Reviewed on Apr 27, 2025

DoubleTree by Hilton Kunming Airport
Crowne Plaza Kunming City Centre by IHG
Crowne Plaza Kunming City Centre by IHG
4.5 out of 5
399 Qingnian Road, Wuhua District, Kunming, Yunnan
The price is P3,892 per night from Jun 16 to Jun 17
P3,892
P4,538 total
Jun 16 - Jun 17
includes taxes & fees
Stay at this 4.5-star luxury hotel in Kunming. Enjoy free WiFi, free parking, and 2 restaurants. Popular attractions Nanping Pedestrian Street and East Pagoda ...
8.4/10 Very Good! (189 reviews)
"Nice and comfortable stay."

Reviewed on Jun 8, 2025

Crowne Plaza Kunming City Centre by IHG
Lowest nightly price found within the past 24 hours based on a 1 night stay for 2 adults. Prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply.
Hotel high sky view hotel
Hotel high sky view hotel
4.5 out of 5
Beijing road Yue center, Kunming, yunnan
Stay at this 4.5-star luxury aparthotel in Kunming. Enjoy free WiFi, a 24-hour front desk, and daily housekeeping. Popular attractions Tongde Plaza Shopping ...
Hotel high sky view hotel
Blue Moon Hotel
Blue Moon Hotel
2 out of 5
Lang Yue Wan Gate 1, Kunming, Yunnan
Stay at this aparthotel in Kunming. Enjoy parking (surcharge). Popular attractions Kunming Botanical Garden and Wanchun Pavilion are located nearby.
Blue Moon Hotel
Guisu Villa Dian Lake
Guisu Villa Dian Lake
3 out of 5
No. 12 Hongta East Road (No. C13-4,, Dianchi Weicheng Weifengdao Residential, Kunming, Yunnan
Stay at this 3-star villa in Kunming. Enjoy parking (surcharge), a conference center, and a garden. Popular attractions Kunming Sports Training Base and Hongta ...
Guisu Villa Dian Lake
Lowest nightly price found within the past 24 hours based on a 1 night stay for 2 adults. Prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply.

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